Bhubaneswar, Feb. 14: Odia movie stars Anubhav, Pappu Pom Pom, Sabyasachi and Arindam have taken it upon themselves to spruce up Kalinga Studio, the only movie-making facility of the state.

Spread over 25 acres, the studio was jointly established with Prasad Labs, Chennai, in 1982 and was taken over by Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) the next year. The facility attracted major filmmakers from all over the country during the 80s and the 90s by offering subsidy in production costs and providing equipment and labour (spot boys and technicians) at economical rates.

But the lack of maintenance over the years has made it unviable. The video unit was demolished four years ago and equipment was abandoned in the huge screening hall, which itself lies in utter neglect. The editing unit lies locked while costly machines and other infrastructure, including latest cameras, are decaying because of exposure to moisture, rust and insects.

“My first movie, I Love You, was shot at the studio. I stayed there during my dubbing days. There are lots of memories attached to the place,” said Anubhav.

The actor recalled having gone to the studio in 2007 with friends for the shooting of To Bina Mo Kahani Adha, when they saw a herd of elephants rushing towards them.

“We ran away scared and managed to escape unhurt. It’s unfortunate that a place associated with so much of natural beauty is in such a sorry state now. It even lacks basic amenities such as toilets,” Anubhav said, adding that recently when Pappu Pom Pom broached the subject of renovating the studio and restore back its glory, he jumped at the idea.

Pappu, on the other hand, is furious with the government for having allowed the place to wallow in neglect.

“The authorities have turned a blind eye to its plight. This, despite the fact that people from our fraternity are in a position to make a difference,” said the ace comedian, who has also included his colleagues, Prakash Parida (Topi) and Akhil Patnaik, in the plan to renovate the cottages at the studio and set up street lights.

The team plans to begin the facelift job with the cottages by naming them after Odia cinema legends. “There are four of them and they will be named after character actor Dukhi Ram Swain, yesteryear actress Sujata Anand, director Basant Nayak and singing legend Akshaya Mohanty,” said Pappu.

Most of the cottages are not fit to live in anymore because of crumbling furniture and defunct air-conditioners, which stopped working long ago. According to the Pappu-led team of actors, the cost of redoing each of the four cottages would be around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000.

“But this is not going to be a one-time investment. We will deploy guards at our own expense outside the cottages once the job is over. We plan to convert them into the equivalent of star hotel suites,” said Anubhav.

Sabyasachi and Arindam appeared equally enthusiastic about the project. They hoped that once the place was renovated, Odia filmmakers, who keep rushing to locales in the south to shoot their movies, would find a viable alternative here almost as good.

“The Odia film industry is heavily dependent on the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad for shoots. We hope to provide them with an alternative by redoing the Kalinga Studio,” Sabyasachi said.

OFDC chairman Munna Khan, himself a part of the industry and a BJD youth leader, said: “If my colleagues in the industry have something in mind, we would love to work in tandem with them. But the government has also started a lot of renovation activities at the studio, including development of a village complex on the premises. I have given a proposal to the chief minister seeking Rs 3 crore for a complete makeover of the studio,” said Khan.